Wanton Heat (A Feel the Heat Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (11 page)

When he’d finished his degree and headed to London to make his mark as a businessman, he had socialized. Been open to invitations. But the protective mechanisms he’d honed to a fine art while at Oxford persisted, and he never allowed anyone too close. He suspected the motives of everyone who approached on the pretense of friendship, and he’d ended up more alone than ever. And all the while he’d wished he was back here, on Ancora, in this house, the only place he’d never had to keep up appearances.

He sank into his favorite chair, a faded blue chintz, and propped his ankles on the coffee table. The chair faced the window encapsulating the view he’d looked at for hours as a kid.

The rocky outcrops of Ancora’s towering cliffs and the ocean beyond were still obscured by the lashing rain and dark, low-slung clouds, but he didn’t mind. Just being here made him feel more grounded. Something he desperately needed after his run-in with Zoe that morning.

Eight hours later, he was still rattled.

Where had that ridiculous urge to unburden his soul come from? One minute she’d been delivering a sound proposal; the next he was blabbing about his failed engagement and his grandfather.

Shit.

Then to top it off, he’d discovered she’d manipulated this entire stranded scenario to further her cause. And she’d echoed what he knew was the truth: there was no future for them. He should’ve been happy she felt the same way he did. Ecstatic, in fact. Instead, a coldness had seeped through him that he hadn’t been able to shake since.

And what had he done? Let her hide out in her room all afternoon, while he’d alternated between trying to read the latest best-selling spy thriller, mulling her presentation, and pacing the house. She hadn’t come out of her room either, even when he’d knocked on the door and asked if she wanted dinner. She’d yelled out something about grabbing a bite of supper later but hadn’t opened the door.

He’d been affronted. They’d been intimate, had really connected last night, and he’d thought…what? That a woman like Zoe would be happy having him open his big mouth and dump a load of blunt home truths, then tolerate his foul mood when he’d discovered her part in being stranded, yet expect her to jump into bed with him again tonight?

Deep down, that’s exactly what he’d hoped. Only an arrogant bastard like him would treat a woman appallingly and still expect sex.

This was why he didn’t do relationships. He was too shut off from people in general, let alone a vibrant, warm, beautiful woman who’d claimed to want the same thing he wanted to give. A few days of raunchy sex. Sounded great in theory. Shame his practice sucked.

If he had any balls, he’d whip up some of those pancakes she loved and knock on her bedroom door. Try to pick up where they’d left off, physically. But considering the mood he’d been in when they left things this morning, she’d brand his balls with the pointy end of her pumps.

No, best to leave Zoe alone and consider ways to make it up to her tomorrow. The weather should clear by the late morning, and he intended on giving her the grand tour of the island. After that, maybe a picnic?

He knew just the spot. The lagoon. Secluded. Stunning. Perfect for seduction if he was so inclined.

And he was. He grew hard visualizing Zoe swimming naked with him…

His balls? Would be blue by tomorrow.

Chapter Five

“This place is unbelievable,” Zoe said, holding her arms wide and spinning on the spot. “Who would’ve thought that shocking weather the last few days could conceal something like this?”

Dominic stared at her, unable to tear his eyes away. She practically glowed, her sun-kissed face tilted to the sun, her eyes bright and appreciative, her smile as wide as the ocean surrounding them.

They’d been hiking for thirty minutes in silence following the awkwardness of yesterday, taking a little-known path through the bush to reach Kaluna’s resort. He’d deliberately brought her this way rather than sailing the boat around to the main jetty near the hotel, because he wanted to show her his favorite spots. Wanted to gauge her reaction, truth be known.

And she hadn’t disappointed. Thankfully, the beauty of his favorite island had gotten them past their mutual unease. She’d ooh’d and aah’d over the scenery, the foliage, and now the lookout. Almost the highest point on the island, the 360-degree view was nothing short of spectacular. As was Zoe.

To see her laughing, joyful, so full of life, made his chest ache. He wanted to be that carefree. That impulsive. That alive. And the longer he stared at her, the more that terrifying ache in his chest expanded. It shouldn’t. He didn’t want it to. But there was something about her vibrancy that was infectious.

Simply, he liked the way she made him feel.

Even after the sleepless night he’d had, when he’d tossed and turned, debating whether to sneak into her room like a horny teenager, her excitement at seeing Ancora for the first time was contagious.

He loved this place and to have her share that with him…well, damned if he didn’t want to sweep her into his arms and never let go.

Foolish, errant thought. It had no place in his logical head. But it was there all the same, as taunting as Zoe wearing denim cutoff shorts that accentuated her pert ass and a turquoise tank top that molded to her like a second skin.

They had to make it to Kaluna’s resort damn quick, before he ravished her here and now.

“I’m glad you like it.” Great. King of the understatement.

“I love it.” She did another twirl before staring at him with eyes so wide he could see the sun picking out the caramel flecks in the brown depths. “Remind me to thank your grandmother for making me kidnap you and ending up stranded here.”

He could’ve bristled again at the reminder of Zoe’s part in the harebrained scheme. Instead, he took a deep breath and released any residual animosity. They had a short-term connection, nothing more. It may rankle that she wanted to benefit financially from their time together, but he’d be better off focusing on the perks—like their explosive chemistry.

“Technically? We’re not stranded anymore.” He pointed to the calm ocean and the private jetty where his boat was moored many miles below and to the east. “We can leave any time you’re ready.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” She waggled her finger at him, and he clamped down the urge to kiss the tip, then slide the whole thing into his mouth. “You owe me a tour of the resort and then we talk business again. And I’m not leaving this island ’til you listen.”

“What are you going to do? Tie me up?”

Something he imagined doing to her. He imagined her arms and legs splayed, tied to the old iron bedposts in the master bedroom. Her nipples would be hard, begging for his mouth. And she’d be wet, glistening, ready for him…

Fuck, not helping the situation.

“You wish.” She winked and turned her back on him, continuing on the path that now led down toward the resort.

“You have no idea how much,” he murmured, for his ears only.

And as Zoe maintained a steady chatter for the next fifteen minutes, exclaiming over the olive and lemon groves, the grapevines, and the birds, he listened in bemused silence. Contributing when he had to but content to let her excitement infuse him with passion. Not sexual passion. He had enough of that for her. More a passion for his island, for life.

He’d always loved this place but seeing it through her eyes made him appreciate it all the more. The best part? She wasn’t faking it or trying the hard sell. She genuinely liked Ancora, and it made him contemplate scenarios he shouldn’t.

Once their business concluded, maybe he should kidnap her for the next month or two.

Yeah, like that was going to happen. Reality check: Zoe would bolt as soon as he gave her his answer. A definitive no.

He couldn’t tell her the truth about why he didn’t want to go with her proposal, so she’d assume he was a stubborn, arrogant prick, and she’d leave ASAP. It was inevitable. It had happened countless times before, when those who wanted something from the Ricci family didn’t get their way. They bolted. But it didn’t make accepting it any easier.

Because sometime over the last few days, between her early arrival at the castle when she’d boldly ogled him, and kidnapping him on the boat, the feisty American had crept under his guard and wormed her way into his well-protected heart.

After all these years, he should be wiser. Damned if he didn’t want to feel anything for her beyond a healthy sexual attraction. Sadly, what he wanted and what had happened were as far apart as their respective home countries.

Zoe was an LA girl; he was an Italian prince. A man with a vision that didn’t match hers.

What they shared was nothing more than a potent, transient fling. It’s what he had clearly articulated yesterday.

So why did he feel so goddamned shitty about it?

His cell buzzed in his back pocket, and he grabbed it, half hoping, half fearful it was the report from the PI he was waiting for. Hoping he’d get some info on Kaluna and Zoe, enough concrete evidence to send her packing. Fearful that he’d have to do just that.

Merda.
This vacillating was shit. He was usually a decisive man, with no room for futile emotions. So why did his thumb shake as he swiped it across the phone screen to check his e-mails?

He released the breath he’d inadvertently been holding when he saw that the reminder e-mail was for a state dignitaries dinner in London next month and not the PI’s report.

Yeah, this was definitely
merda
. He needed to get a grip on his uncharacteristic feelings before he really fucked up.

“We’re here.” She stopped at a white picket gate with a sign
Private Property. Kaluna Resorts
hanging off it. “Ready to be wowed by the rest of my pitch?”

“Everything you do wows me,” he said, reverting to a little lighthearted flirtation to ease the tension gripping him.

Now that they were here, and Zoe could complete the final part of her presentation, he was feeling increasingly edgy. He would do the right thing and hear her out, couch his refusal in polite terms, and they’d part. It was inevitable from the beginning. Logical. So why did the thought of an untenable future make him feel this bad?

Her eyes narrowed. “You think flattery will put me off my game?”

He laughed, loving her ability to make him relax with a simple sentence. “You don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you?”

“Let’s just say you confuse the hell out of me,” she said, softening the truth with a smile. “I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone like you, Dom Ricci.”

That sounded good. Dom Ricci. No title. No formality. No responsibility. A guy could get used to that. Sadly, not him.

“Come on, I’ll show you around.” He unlatched the gate and held it open for her.

When she stepped through, she deliberately brushed her breasts against his chest, and he instantly hardened.

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you a little taste of what you’ll be missing out on later today if you don’t give me a fair hearing here.” Her impish smile lit up her face.

“Now who’s blackmailing who for sex?”

“Not blackmail. Consider it a little healthy incentive.” With that, she wiggled her fingers in a jaunty wave over her shoulder and bounced ahead along the path.

That tightness in his chest? Spread until he could barely breathe, as for the first moment since he’d met Zoe, he wondered if there was the slightest chance in hell they could mesh their two visions for Ancora’s future.

He couldn’t trust her with the truth yet; he wasn’t that foolish. But there would be definite advantages to working with Zoe.

The main one being keeping her in his life longer.

…

Zoe could see why Kai Kaluna wanted to spruce this place up.

While the resort resembled the layout of his signature Palm Bay resort in the South Pacific, where she’d scored the lucrative advertising contract alongside Allegra, it was showing its age. Faded terra-cotta exteriors courtesy of a scorching Mediterranean summer sun and the frequent storms like the doozy she’d been privy to. The kidney-shaped pool in need of retiling. Gardens that could do with a landscaping update. Fraying sun lounges and beach umbrellas that needed replacing. Staff uniforms that could be brought into the twenty-first century.

Nothing overt, but enough that her practiced eye picked up on the resort’s faults. Her research gleaned that Dom’s granddad had done a deal with Kaluna thirty years ago to build this resort, with the proviso that it was eco-friendly and didn’t disturb the local environment. Kaluna had stuck to his end of the bargain, but the resort had blended so well with the island it had become almost invisible. And Dom’s dad hadn’t changed a thing since the old man had died twenty-five years ago. Profit margins were at an all-time low, and to capitalize on her glam million-dollar ad campaign, Kaluna had to expand.

That’s where Dom came in.

He’d been surprisingly relaxed today. A welcome change after yesterday when she’d done her best to avoid him all afternoon and into the evening. She hadn’t wanted to see him after their cozy chat following her presentation. Because if she had, she may have ended up reevaluating every sane reason why intimacy with a guy was so wrong for her.

Never had she imagined he’d disclose as much as he did. Worse, the effect it would have on her.

She’d wanted to hug him tight and never let go.

And if there was one thing Zoe never did, it was forever.

Amazing, how paparazzi and the world were so quick to label him surly and aloof when there was a very good reason for his withdrawal from society. He’d been grieving his parents’ death when the person closest to him had ripped his heart out.

He’d been vulnerable, and that slut of a fiancée had betrayed him in the worst possible way. Zoe would lay odds the woman had been screwing his competitor, too. Otherwise, why would she be traveling in the guy’s sports car along the Amalfi Coast? Checking out the scenery? Doubtful.

Zoe would give anything to bitch-slap the woman into oblivion for hurting Dom like that. He didn’t deserve it. No one did. And it looked like the aftereffects of having his heart broken were lingering.

The guy didn’t trust easily. She got that. What she didn’t get was why he’d be so closed off in the business arena, too? Protecting his heart from female predators, she could understand. But why was he so mistrustful of change that could only help this island prosper?

His recalcitrance certainly stalled her plans. But now that they were here, and she’d had the grand tour, she had every intention of making him see sense.

“You’re mentally preparing to give me another spiel, aren’t you?” He sat beside her on a wrought iron bench overlooking the resort’s stunning private beach.

“How can you tell?”

“You get this look.” He made a face like a constipated bulldog. “Determination with a healthy dose of ‘never say die.’”

She cocked her thumb and forefinger and mock-fired. “And don’t you forget it.”

“You’re pretty hard to forget.”

To her surprise, he bumped her with his shoulder, a strangely informal, friendly gesture considering he knew what was to come. Maybe he was thawing toward the idea of advertising this place? Yeah, and maybe she was ready to run naked through the resort lobby.

“That cliché flattery will get your everywhere?” She bumped him back, harder. “Don’t believe it. Utter crap.”

He laughed. “God, I love your bluntness.”

“You’d be one of few,” she said, remembering the many times her big mouth had gotten her into trouble.

At home with her folks when she’d had a gutful of the many years of her parents’ dysfunctional marriage and had told them so. She’d called her mom a sniveling, spineless woman who needed to kick her dad’s ass to the curb. And she’d called her dad a narcissistic, self-absorbed bastard for treating Mom the way he did. The result? Her mom had actually paid attention and got a life for a month or two; the same two months her dad actually made it home more often.

She’d been home from college at the time, and that was the one and only vacation she remembered as being halfway tolerable. But when the obligatory phone calls to her folks the following semester had garnered more of the same old, same old, she’d never returned home for a vacation again. She’d swapped tension-fraught Texas for laid-back LA, crashing at Allegra’s for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any other college vacations. And she’d become hooked on the city.

She’d had no qualms about using her trust fund money to establish AW Advertising after college, but she’d deliberately taken a lesser role despite Allegra bugging her for weeks to be partner. Simply, Zoe didn’t think she’d earned it.

She’d partied her way through college, cramming for exams and barely scraping through with passing grades, while Allegra studied her brainiac ass off and received top honors. She’d gotten a marketing degree by pure chance—after throwing a dart at a course prospectus following a particularly wild tequila shot party—while it had been Allegra’s dream for years.

Working behind the scenes suited her, because she’d never felt worthy.

As for her most recent bout of bluntness, when the company’s clients had labeled her ideas
too avant-garde, outrageous, and damaging
before taking their business elsewhere? Boy, did her mouth get her in trouble that day.